A Ninth Consecutive Division Title for Yankees

TORONTO, Sept. 20 — For Johnny Damon, it was the perfect convergence of joy and duty.

The Yankees’ game had ended with a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night, but the scoreboard told the players that the Boston Red Sox were also losing. They all knew what that meant.

One Red Sox loss would clinch the Yankees’ ninth consecutive American League East title. As he crowded around a clubhouse television with his teammates, Damon realized something: the team beating Boston was the Minnesota Twins, a possible opponent in the division series.

“It was great, but we’re also scouting the Twins now, too, seeing what their pitchers are doing,” said Damon, who was drenched in Champagne after Boston’s 8-2 loss. “They’re on fire right now. They could be the hottest team going into the playoffs. It was nice sitting with the guys, even after our loss.”

Very quickly, the Yankees got off the couches and partied. The Red Sox are the next team to use the visitors’ locker room at the Rogers Center, and when they get here, they might catch a leftover whiff of celebration.

The Yankees believed they earned the right to let loose. At the All-Star Game break, they were three games behind the Red Sox in the division and six games back in the wild-card race. It was the farthest they had ever been from a playoff spot at midseason in Joe Torre’s 11 years as manager.

“This year was a lot more difficult, because we had to overcome a lot of injuries,” said closer Mariano Rivera, who has missed three weeks with a strained muscle near his elbow. “It wasn’t easy for us, so definitely, we have to enjoy it.”

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Derek Jeter and the Yankees celebrated in Toronto after they clinched their ninth consecutive American League East title.Credit
Frank Gunn/Canadian Press, via Associated Press

Rivera mostly stood to the side of the celebration, smiling as many of his younger teammates whooped it up. Robinson Canó bounded around the room with others, ambushing nearly every teammate with a flood of beer.

The group gathered around Jorge Posada, bouncing and hollering, “Puerto Rico! Puerto Rico!” For Jason Giambi, it was “G! G! G!” For Sal Fasano, “Sally! Sally!” On and on it went.

Torre gave a toast to kick off the revelry, and he went around the room hugging each player, from Bernie Williams to Andy Cannizaro. There were more young players than usual, a fact not lost on Torre.

“This is so different from a lot of Yankee teams, because so much youth was involved,” Torre said. “Last year, Robby Canó and Wang brought us a little more youthful spirit, mixed with the veterans, and they didn’t seem to back off this year. And Melky was sensational.”

All through the clubhouse, players seemed grateful for Melky Cabrera’s contribution. By mid-May, the star outfielders Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield had sustained major injuries that would cost them the bulk of the season.

But Cabrera, a bust in a weeklong trial last season, emerged as an everyday force at the plate and in the field. Role players like Aaron Guiel had their moments, too, and then Bobby Abreu arrived in a trade with the Phillies on July 30.

“This is the team that always gets to the playoffs,” said Abreu, who will make his first trip there since 1997. “You want to be a part of that. This is the right time, the right moment, the right team.”

With Abreu a fixture in right field, Matsui set to return to left and Sheffield ready to start at first base, Cabrera could be on the bench in the playoffs. But Torre has said he will play an important role, and he represents a vital change in the Yankees’ makeup.

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“The youth gets a little excited, which is fun,” said Mike Mussina, surveying the postgame scene. “Until we got a little youth mixed in in the middle of last year, we were kind of a flat team.”

Scott Proctor was not supposed to make the team out of spring training, but Aaron Small’s groin injury created a spot. Proctor leads A.L. relievers in appearances. Chien-Ming Wang had never pitched a full season in the majors. He is 17-6.

Wednesday’s game was the third in a row started by a Yankees rookie. Sean Henn did not make it out of the fourth inning, but Darrell Rasner (3-0) and Jeff Karstens (2-1) won their starts.

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“It’s been pretty exciting to see the transformation of what we’ve had to go through,” Giambi said. “These young players deserve a lot of credit.”

Giambi, who chugged from a whiskey bottle he shared with some teammates, will rest his sore left wrist the next few games. The Yankees did not clinch until their 161st game last season, but now they have 10 games to let Giambi and others get ready.

“You like the fact that you have all that time,” Torre said. “You’d like to believe it will help having it line up the way you want to, but you still have to go out there and perform.”

The Yankees did not do that last October, falling to the Los Angeles Angels in a five-game division series. It was the fifth consecutive postseason without a championship, a streak the Yankees expect to stop.

“We need to make the postseason a lot longer than it’s been for us,” Torre said. “Hopefully, this postseason is something special.”

INSIDE PITCH

Manager Joe Torre said the Yankees would limit the starting pitchers’ innings down the stretch. One problem could arise if the calluses on Chien-Ming Wang’s right index finger worsen. Wang has built up the calluses by throwing his sinker, and he threw only 87 pitches in his last start. “It’s something he’s been dealing with all year,” Torre said. “If it becomes worrisome and it’s something where we don’t want to pitch him, then we won’t. But it’s nothing to worry about right now.” ... Torre said Jason Giambi could miss three to five days with soreness in his left wrist. Giambi has not homered since Aug. 20, just before he felt discomfort in the wrist. “That’s definitely a concern,” Giambi said. “That’s why I’m trying to take care of it.” ... Mariano Rivera will not need another bullpen session before pitching again, Torre said, and he could appear in a game this weekend. Rivera has missed all of September with a muscle strain near his right elbow.